Creative sector targets 2.3% GDP contribution, 2 million jobs by 2030, says FG
By Aboki Forex —
The Federal Government says Nigeria's creative sector will contribute about 2.3% to Gross Domestic Product and create 2 million additional jobs by 2030. Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, disclosed this during a visit by NIPSS Director-General, Professor Ayo Omotayo, and former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.
Government plans and framework
Musawa said the ministry has begun putting in place the policy and institutional framework required to achieve the targets. The measures are part of efforts to reposition the creative, cultural and tourism sectors as drivers of national economic growth.
"We are also concluding work on the National Tourism policy that will anchor this vision for years to come," she said.
The minister said the ministry has inaugurated four drafting committees covering policy and strategy, programmes and implementation, stakeholder engagement, and monitoring and evaluation. These committees will help build the institutional and financial architecture needed to develop Nigeria's creative industries.
Musawa said the Orange Economy, comprising the creative, cultural and cultural-heritage sectors, aligns with President Bola Tinubu's economic diversification agenda. The creative sector currently contributes roughly between 1.2% and 2% to Nigeria's GDP and employs about 4.2 million Nigerians, making it one of the country's largest employers of labour.
NIPSS backing
Omotayo said Nigeria's creative sector has the potential to contribute as much as $450 billion to the economy and support President Tinubu's target of growing Nigeria's GDP to $1 trillion by 2030. He said NIPSS had identified the creative sector as the final area of focus in its examination of sectors capable of supporting the $1 trillion economy target.
"For the national institute, we have bonded ourselves to the agenda of Mr President in which he wants Nigeria to reach a trillion-dollar economy by 2030," Omotayo said.
The visit was to brief Musawa on NIPSS plans to host a National Summit and Exhibition on the Orange Economy and seek the ministry's support and collaboration as the lead government institution for creative economy and tourism policy in Nigeria.
What it means for the economy
Musawa had in May 2025 said the ministry was targeting a $100 billion contribution to Nigeria's economy by 2030. The Federal Executive Council has approved a memo seeking to monetise Nigeria's tangible and intangible assets in the creative, cultural and tourism industries.
The latest target is part of the Federal Government's broader plan to increase the creative sector's economic contribution, expand employment opportunities and support the diversification of Nigeria's economy. For the naira and Nigerian businesses, a stronger creative sector means more non-oil revenue, greater export earnings from culture and tourism, and a more resilient economic base.